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EXIT INTERVIEWS OFFER MULTIPLE ADVANTAGES

Most companies focus on interrogating applicants to hire the right talent. However, exit interviews can glean valuable information from resigning employees. National PEO’s workforce recruiting
experts can handle either or both. Fill out our online contact form to get your quote for these team-building services.

Business Gains

Decrease staff turnover: Understanding how workers view your employer brand can help you develop effective ways to diminish personnel turnover. Learning why employees leave and what your firm could have done differently to keep them can upgrade your long-term talent retention. Use such knowledge to avoid making similar mistakes with current and future recruits.

At times, departure interviews offer chances to retain valuable employees who would have left otherwise. Some organizations accept resignations too quickly without discussing or testing staffers’ determinations to leave. During the final employment step, separation meetings can become safety nets that convince key crewmembers to stay.

Inspire positive changes: Developing an exit interview consensus over time will help you comprehend your company’s major turnover reasons. Changing certain business practices may reduce your staff renewal rate. If most to all departures complain about inadequate vacations, for example, rethink your paid-time-off policy.

When patterns emerge but altering corresponding situations is impossible, using that information to modify your talent selection process can help decrease employee turnover. For instance, recent grads might not enjoy jobs focusing on routine bookkeeping duties that don’t utilize all their newly acquired occupational skills. On the other hand, experienced accountants closer to retirement could be happy in those positions. Whenever personnel leave for unfixable reasons, learning from them amounts to free yet valuable business consultations.

Reduce potential lawsuits and liability: Separation interviews allow discussions about company and employee obligations and rights after departures, indicating that your organization follows labor laws. They can stop former personnel from filing discrimination and harassment lawsuits. Besides covering customary issues like remaining vacation pay and COBRA, review copies of confidentiality, non-compete, and any other post-service agreements staffers signed. Addressing everything openly can prevent workers from involving attorneys in potential litigations.

Avoidance Reasons

Some small- to mid-sized companies find that administrator/workforce familiarity makes exit interviews too awkward. Vacating personnel may give guarded answers. Not wanting to alienate former employers, many resigning workers avoid being critical. Instead of revealing that their bosses were bullies, they attribute their departures to inoffensive reasons: New jobs offered higher compensations, greater benefits, and/or promotions with more responsibilities.

Overcome employees’ reluctance about sharing honest opinions by asking why they began looking elsewhere instead of what made them quit. That may uncover your firm’s shortcomings. Maybe your training does not measure up to what big corporations can provide, so personnel never mastered their jobs. Alternatively, if work bored ambitious staffers, they might have sought more stimulating positions.

Supplementing in-person exit interviews with hard-copy or online follow-up surveys can boost results. In private, reserved employees may be more forthcoming with their true feelings.

May we contact you with future opportunities? For yes answers, add: Will you update us as your experience and skills expand?

Conversation Records

Witnesses or interviewers should take notes during exit meetings to document conversations. You can supply proof of questions and responses if court cases arise later. When employees file discrimination lawsuits after not mentioning that reason for quitting, for example, your notes may help your defense resolve, settle, or dismiss their claims.

Retaliation Prevention

Anytime exit interviews bring up negative responses, remain objective. Do not retaliate against good-faith complaints. To minimize hurt feelings, share departure discoveries with other team members tactfully. Former employees can sue angry supervisors or colleagues who damage their reputations by defaming them falsely. So advise your crew to be cautious about commenting on current and previous staffers within and outside of your workplace.